Genus
Stemonitis (Chocolate tube slimes)
Stemonitis splendens. Photo: (c) Reflectitur Photons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Stemonitis is a distinctive genus of slime moulds found throughout the world (except Antarctica). They are characterised by the tall brown sporangia, supported on slender stalks, which grow in clusters on rotting wood. The genus was first described by German botanist Johann Gottlieb Gleditsch in 1753. A 2014 estimate suggests that there are 18 species in the genus. Identification within the genus is difficult, and can only be performed with confidence using a microscope.
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